Fuel Planning in an Unfamiliar Ai...
Fuel Planning in an Unfamiliar Airplane: Why the Owner's 5 GPH Estimate Was Wrong
Aviation Mentors by Brandon Martini & Carson Vasquez
S3 ยท E241
Sep 26, 2026
26:48
Episode notes

โ›ฝ What happens when the fuel burn you were promised isn't the fuel burn you get?

In this episode, Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez break down part one of Brandon's ferry flight in an ICP Savannah S, a light sport airplane he had never flown, from Georgetown, Texas toward California. Brandon walks through how he planned fuel for an unfamiliar aircraft, why he didn't trust the owner's numbers, and the moment over the Arizona desert when one tank stopped feeding.

๐Ÿ”น Why a 5 GPH fuel burn estimate didn't hold up, and what the airplane actually burned ๐Ÿ”น Planning for weight and balance limits and filling the tanks yourself to know exactly what's on board ๐Ÿ”น Personal minimums on a brand new airplane: no IFR and no night flying ๐Ÿ”น Why turning back toward an airport you already passed can be the hardest and best decision

๐Ÿš€ Whether yoย ...ย 

Keywords
aviation mentors
stratus financial
brandon martini
carson vasquez
light sports aircraft
fuel starvation
ICP Savannah S
low fuel diversion
ferry flight
fuel planning